STOP the 'Vernon School District 22 Courtesy Bus Fee'

Would you pay $300 per year per child in order for them to take the school bus to their school every day? This is the "choice" that many families in Vernon will have to make this fall. Families who have children in either programs of choice (such as French emersion) or schools out of their catchment areas, are considered courtesy riders on the school buses. They ride if there is room on the bus. So far, it has not been a problem. Due to a shortfall in the school district budget, it has been decided to charge these families $300/year for each child to continue to be a courtesy rider.

Some families have moved and yet decided to let their children stay at their old school, which is now out of catchment. For our family, we moved to Vernon having had a French emersion as our previous catchment school, and now would like to continue French for our children. It is, however, a school of choice, and therefore we must now pay. This is unfair to the families in these situations, and the cost is incredibly high. Had the budget deficit been spread among all of the families in the district, the cost would have been very low per family.